The Rollback of Hate & Toxic Masculinity. . . What’s Barbie have to do with it?
Barbie leads the rollback of toxic masculinity, preventing suicide, and celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month!
Musings of the Month
The rollback of hate. Is It really happening?
“Have you noticed Americans are beginning to reject hate?”
Progressive radio host and author Thom Hartmann posed this question in his thought provoking article this month. An example of people rejecting hate is reported larger numbers of parents showing up at school board meetings to stand up to those who are pushing oppressive policies and practices.
Hartmann believes the large number of people who have seen the Barbie movie has contributed to more people, including people with conservative political views, increasing their awareness of the problems with patriarchy and its links to toxic masculinity and the hate-filled movement of Donald Trump and his supporters. He supports this claim with examples of other movies, like Bambi and Gone with the Wind, that have had wide ranging effects over the years on Americans’ sentiment about issues like vegetarianism and the ‘Confederate Culture,’ among others. A recent poll (n=300), cited by The Hill journalist Julia Shapiro, found 81% of respondents believe patriarchy affects the workplace, including 84% of women and 77% of men. Among those men, 82% said that Barbie increased their awareness of patriarchy in the work environment. Furthermore, nearly 60% percent of Barbie viewers said the movie improved their opinion of women in leadership.
While the poll’s sample size is small, it is intriguing to think of Barbie as a force for dismantling patriarchy. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts . . . are you seeing examples of people rolling back hate? We would love to hear about it. Drop us a line at info@data2insight.com.
BONUS Story
Another example of a patriarchal institution evolving to be more supportive of women is the Miss America Organization. Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke is a nuclear scientist! She said, "I nerd out when it comes to nuclear things," as she prepared to promote "all forms of clean energy" during her reign. Needless to say, Grace was thrilled about Barbenheimer. Learn more about the evolution of the Miss America program from the 1921 “Inter-City Beauty” contest where Margaret Gorman became the first Miss America to today where young women increasingly see Miss America as an opportunity to pursue higher education, professional opportunities, advance social causes, and provide community service.
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Featured Author Blog
Stacey Sexton works with individuals and teams through conflict and deepening their understanding of social justice.
Stacey Sexton is a queer, nonbinary, socialist organizer, educator, facilitator and coach working as an evaluator at SageFox Consulting Group.
Stacey works to rekindle our orientation toward community, enliven our sense of what education is for, and nourish each person’s relationship to their own humanity.
These three threads form the fabric of social change, which is their ultimate reason for doing the work they do. Yoga, hiking, journaling, and being in community are some of the ways Stacey achieves balance in their life daily.
Read Stacey’s recent interview on data2insight’s blog.
September Resource Highlight
Let’s celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, observed September 15 to October 15!
As of July 1, 2022, there were 63.7 million people living in the United States who identify as Hispanic/Latino/Latine people, over 19% of the total U.S. population.
Hispanics or Latino people have contributed to American life since the American Revolution, fighting in every war since then. Latine people today continue to advance in communities across the country. They are small business owners, veterans, teachers, and public servants, among many other professions. Hispanic Heritage Month allows us to recognize their achievements and contributions to the rich tapestry that makes up our national story.
Check out this list of the top 8 reasons why and how to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from Smithsonian Latino Center educators! And the U.S. Census Bureau has a Hispanic Heritage fun facts handout and quiz game that could be fun for you, your family, team, or classroom.
Book Spotlight
You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health by Ken Duckworth, MD
This comprehensive guide includes stories from over 130 people - including people with mental illness and caregivers - who understand how challenging it can be to find the help you need, when you need it. Their stories make this book different from your typical mental health guide.
The book covers how to get help, pathways to recovery, the intersection of culture and mental health, and many more important topics to guide any person’s mental health journey.
The National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) published its first ever book by Dr. Ken Duckworth with the expertise of a leading psychiatrist and the empathy of a family member affected by mental illness. NAMI’s hope is that this guide can help people find that key help and support sooner and make recovery more accessible to those trying to find it.
#SelfCareCorner
Sucide Prevention Awareness Month
While suicide prevention is important to address year-round, Suicide Prevention Awareness Month provides a dedicated time to come together with collective passion and strength to address this difficult topic. The truth is, we can all benefit from honest conversations about mental health conditions and suicide, because just one conversation can change a life.
Join the movement to advocate for a better mental health care system by signing up for advocacy alerts and taking action when opportunities arise in your community.
Crisis Resources
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 immediately.
If you are uncomfortable talking on the phone, you can chat with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org.
Text NAMI to 741-741 to be connected to a free, trained crisis counselor on the Crisis Text Line.
Need more information, referrals or support? Contact the NAMI HelpLine.
What's new at data2insight?
Cheers to Anh Pham: Embarking on a Stellar Journey with Blue Origin
Let’s celebrate and wish all the best to our former project assistant and blog post editor Anh Pham. She recently joined Blue Origin as a data analyst. While we are sad to see her go, we are also excited for her next professional adventure.
Blue Origin is lucky to have her and her technical, compassionate communication, and strategic thinking knowledge and skill. Anh's commitment to co-creating connected, high-performing multiracial teams is a valuable addition to their organization.
